General Guidelines

Differences which indicate a non-matching situation between copy and the item in hand usually occur in more than one field (e.g., 250, 260|c and 300|a). If a difference occurs in a single field, you must determine whether there are two separate bibliographic items with only one significant difference, or whether the difference is an error in the bibliographic record. When in doubt, refer the item for a decision.

Different Editions

Input separate records to represent different editions of bibliographic works (i.e., 1st ed., 2nd ed., etc.).

Cataloging Rules

Differences resulting from changes in cataloging rules do not justify a new record (e.g., pre AACR2 copy often lacks 245|c even though a statement of responsibility is present on the item).

Do not create a new record solely because of disagreement with the choice of main entry.

CIP Cataloging

Apply the same guidelines to Cataloging-in-Publication (CIP) records with the following exception: variations in fields 245, 260|c, 300 and 4XX do not justify a new record.

As long as a CIP record can be recognized as describing the item being cataloged, edit that CIP record to reflect information appearing on the item as published. Absence means the information applies to the item in hand but is not found in the online record.

Multipart Items

A change in title among parts of a multipart item does not justify a new record. Catalog a multipart item as an open entry unless there is evidence that it is closed. Occasionally, a publisher may issue a multipart item in which the individual parts bear differing edition statements and are revised and reissued independently. In such cases, only one multipart item record should exist.

Field-by-Field Guidelines

Absence means the information applies to the item in hand but is not found in the online record.
Presence means the information does not apply to the item in hand but is found in the online record.
Difference means the information applies to the item in hand but appears in another form in the online record.

Date 1 and Date 2

A difference in Date 1 or Date 2 alone does not justify a new record. For monographs, compare fields 260|c, 500, 533|d, etc., for actual differences in dates.

Language Code

A difference in the Language Code alone does not justify a new record. Compare fields 041, 240, 245, 500, 546, etc. Specific differences in the language or text of the item justify a new record.

010 Library of Congress Control Number

Absence or presence of an 010 does not justify a new record. A difference in LCCN's may justify a new record. Compare fields 245-5XX for actual differences to justify a new record.

020 International Standard Book Number

Absence or presence of an 020 does not justify a new record. A difference in 020 alone does not justify a new record. Compare 245-5XX for other differences.

027 Standard Technical Report Number and 088 Report Number

Absence or presence of an 027 or 088 does not justify a new record. A difference in 027 or 088 alone does not justify a new record. Compare 245-5XX for other differences.

041 Language Code

Absence or presence of field 041 does not justify a new record. A difference in field 041 alone does not justify a new record. Compare Lang, 240, 245, 500, 546, etc. Specific differences in the language or text of the item justify a new record.

1XX Main Entry

Absence of, presence of, or difference in choice or form of 1XX fields does not justify a new record. For multipart items, a change in field does not justify a new record.

240 Uniform Title

Absence of, presence of, or difference in 240 does not justify a new record.

245|a, |n, |p Title, Number of part/section, Name of part/section

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Absence of, presence of, or difference in bracketed information (e.g., difference in supplied title), capitalization, diacritics, ellipses, initial articles, punctuation, or special characters.
• Variation resulting from difference in chief source of information or choice of title because of layout on the chief source. Example follows.

  Item: The Modern Utopian Modern Man in Search of Utopia Bibliographic Record: 245 00 Modern man in search of utopia 500   "The modern utopian" OR 245 04 The modern utopian :|bmodern man in search of utopia.

• Variation resulting from difference in selection of title proper (e.g., Keats' poetry vs. Poetry).
• Variation in length resulting from judgment of what constitutes the title proper (e.g., a difference in the placement of |b).
• Absence of, presence of, or difference in expanded forms of non-English abbreviations, numerals, etc.

A title change (see AACR2 1998 rev., rule 21.2A) among parts of a multipart item or as a result of a looseleaf publication being updated does not justify a new record.

Specific differences in the wording of the title proper, other than those noted above, justify a new record.

245|b Remainder of title

Absence or presence of 245|b does not justify a new record. Other title information may be present in 245|b, 500 or omitted. To justify a new record, use the criteria under field 245 subfields |a, |n, |p.

245|c Statement of responsibility

Absence or presence of 245|c does not justify a new record. Statements of responsibility may be present in 245|c, 500 or omitted. A change in the responsibility for a work among parts of a multipart item or as a result of a looseleaf publication being updated does not justify a new record. Specific differences in the statement of responsibility, other than those noted, justify a new record.

245|h Medium

Absence, presence or a difference alone of 245|h does not justify a new record. Compare field 300 and fields 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.

246 Varying form of title

Absence, presence or difference in 246 does not justify a new record.

250|a Edition statement

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Variation in position of edition information in the record (e.g., 250 vs. 500).
• Absence or presence of "book club edition," "first edition," "paperback edition" or "limited edition" statements when that is the only difference.

  Note: A named edition (e.g., Owl book ed.) and a numbered paperback edition (e.g., 1st paperback ed.) do justify a new record.

The following differences justify a new record:

• Variation in numbered edition statements (e.g., 2nd ed. vs. 3rd ed.).
• Variation in "draft," "preliminary," "revision," etc. statements (e.g., 2nd ed. vs. 2nd ed., rev.).
• Variation in statements indicating abridgment, enlargement, etc. (e.g., 1st ed. vs. 1st ed. expanded and enl.)
• Variation in statements indicating a difference in content (e.g., Teacher's ed. vs. Student ed.)
• Variation in statements indicating geographic coverage (e.g., Midwest ed. vs. Western ed.)
• Variation in statements indicating language content (e.g., Spanish ed. vs. Italian ed.)
• Variation in date designation associated with edition (e.g., Draft, Jan. 1989 vs. Draft, May 1989).

Edition statements appearing on some foreign language publications (e.g., Romance language imprints) often reflect printing information rather than edition information. If the edition statement appears in conjunction with the printer's name or the number of copies printed, generally consider the edition statement to reflect printing information and use the existing record.

"Edición" in Spanish and "édicion" in French mean either edition or printing. When there are many "editions" published over a short period of time with no indication of revision and fields 245 through 5XX show no other differences, consider the phrase a statement of printing and use the existing record. See following example.

T.p. verso:

Ediciones Rikchay Peru, Lima Primera edición: abril 1977 Segunda edición: mayo 1977 Tercera edición: noviembre 1977 (Revisada y ampliada. Prólogo de Jorge Basadre) Cuarta edición: abril 1978 Quinta edición: mayo 1978   "Edición" has been used in this example for both edition and printing. The third edition has clearly been modified and constitutes a true edition statement. 250 3. ed. 260 Lima :|bEdiciones Rikchay Peru,|c1977.

In these cases the "edition" statement of the original item from which all subsequent printings have been made is recorded as the edition statement in 250.

In all other cases, use judgment. If in doubt, use the existing record.

250|b Remainder of edition statement

Absence or presence of 250|b does not justify a new record. A difference may be an indication that a new record is needed. Compare 245 through 5XX for other differences.

255 Cartographic Mathematical Data

Absence or presence of 255 does not justify a new record. Specific differences in scale or coordinates, except for minor variations, justify a new record. If in doubt, compare 245 through 5XX for other differences.

256 Computer File Characteristics

Absence or presence of 256 does not justify a new record. Specific differences in file characteristics (e.g., computer data vs. computer program) justify a new record.

260|a Place of publication, distribution, etc.

Absence or presence of 260|a does not justify a new record. The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Absence or presence of a place of publication when known only from an outside source (e.g., [Ohio?] vs. [S.l.]).
• Variation in the form of the name of the place (e.g., Cologne vs. Köln).
• Change of place within the same country between printings of the same edition.
• Change of place among issues or parts of a multipart item.
• Variation in choice of place for items with more than one place of publication (e.g., if an item is published in London and New York, a British library might record only London, but a U.S. library would record London and New York).
• Variation in multiple places of publication as long as the first place is the same (e.g., an item published in Denmark may show only Kobenhavn, but the same item issued in the U.S. shows Kobenhavn and Philadelphia).

Specific differences in the place of publication, other than those noted, justify a new record.

260|b Name of publisher, distributor, etc.

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Absence or presence of a publisher when known only from an outside source (e.g., [A.B. Smith] vs. [s.n.]).
• Variation in fullness of the publisher's name (e.g., John Wiley & Sons vs. Wiley).
• Change of publisher among issues or parts of a multipart item.
• Variation in choice of publisher for an item having more than one publisher.
• Absence or presence of multiple publishers, distributors, etc., as long as one on the item matches one on the record and vice versa.
• Variation in choice of a publisher when the publishers are part of the same organization (e.g., Puffin vs. Penguin)

Specific differences in the publisher, other than those noted above, justify a new record (e.g., name variations due to the formation of a new corporate body as in a merger: Harper vs. Harper & Row; variations in form of name because of subsidiary imprints: Harper vs. HarperSanFrancisco).

260|c Date of publication, distribution, etc.

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Absence or presence of a publication or copyright date.
• Variation in printing, manufacture, or distribution date alone.
• Variation in copyright dates when the publication dates are the same.
• Variation in opening and closing dates for incomplete multipart items.

The date recorded in 260|c should represent the date of publication of the edition specified in 250, not the date of a subsequent printing. A difference in the date of publication of an edition justifies a new record. If the date is unknown or estimated (e.g., [n.d.] vs. [1965?]), use judgment. When in doubt, use the existing record.

260|e, |f, |g Place of manufacture, Manufacturer, Date of manufacturer

Absence or presence of 260|e, |f or |g does not justify a new record.

300|a Physical Description, Extent

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Variation in recording data because of different cataloging rules.
• Variation in preliminary paging, post paging, or separate numbering.
• Minor variations in paging when that is the only difference.
• Variation in the number of parts for an incomplete multipart item (e.g., record indicates 5 v. and the library now has v. 6-7).
• Variation caused by local binding.
• Minor variations because of bracketed or estimated data.
• Variation in paging because of a section (e.g., an index being numbered in one printing and unnumbered in another printing).
• Presence or absence of counted plates or illustrations.

Specific differences in the extent of item, other than those noted, justify a new record.

300|b Other physical details

Absence of, presence of or difference in 300|b alone generally does not justify a new record.

300|c Dimensions

Absence or presence of 300|c does not justify a new record. A difference of more than 2 cm. which is not a result of local binding may justify a new record. Check match criteria of other fields to determine if a new record is justified.

300|e Accompanying material

Absence of, presence of, or difference in 300|e does not justify a new record. Accompanying material may be cataloged separately or described in a note.

4XX Series Statement

Absence or presence of 4XX does not justify a new record. The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Variation in form of series statement.
• Variation in tracing decision or form (e.g., 440 vs. 490 with 830).
• Absence of, presence of, or difference in series statement of responsibility.
• Change of series among issues or parts of a multipart item. If the whole set is issued in a different series, a new record is justified.
• Absence of, presence of, or difference in a series-like phrase.

  The series-like phrase often contains the name or initials of the body (e.g., "AVI book," "A Council on Foreign Relations book"). Such a series may appear in 4XX, 500 or be omitted depending on local practice.

• Minor differences in paperback series.
  • Treat a paperback with a paperback series and a hardback issued without a series as the same edition if all other match criteria are met. Record the paperback series in the 4XX or 5XX field, according to the instructions in LCAF. Add the following 500 note:

    500 Also issued without series statement.

  • Treat two paperbacks with two different paperback series as the same edition if all other match criteria are met.

    Record one series in the 4XX field, the other in a 500 note as illustrated below.

    500 Also issued in series ____________

  • Treat a hardback book with a hardback series and a paperback with a paperback series as copies if all other criteria match.

    Add the following 500 note for the second series:

    500 Also issued in series ____________

5XX Notes

Absence or presence of 5XX, other than those noted below, does not justify a new record.

• Notes indicating differences in the language, edition, format, or content of the item may be an indication that a new record is needed. Use judgment.
• Choice of a specific 5XX field vs. a general field 500 note does not justify a new record.
• Notes relating solely to holdings, in-house binding, missing pages and other imperfections, etc., should be treated as local information and do not justify a new record.
• Notes indicating the presence of accompanying material do not justify a new record.
• Notes indicating the need for different equipment in the case of audiovisual media (e.g., Beta vs.VHS) justify a new record.
• Other differences in 5XX do not justify a new record. If in doubt, compare 245 through 4XX for other differences to justify a new record.

505 Contents Note

Absence or presence of 505 does not justify a new record. A contents note showing less complete contents or coverage does not justify a new record. A contents note showing actual differences in the content of the item justifies a new record.

If in doubt, compare 245 through 5XX for other differences to justify a new record.

507 Scale Note for Graphic Material

Use the criteria under 255.

533 Reproduction Note

Absence or presence of 533 does not justify a new record.

538 System Details Notes

Absence or presence of 538 does not justify a new record.

COM. Specific differences in system requirements (e.g., disk characteristics, technical details, etc.) may justify a new record. Compare fields 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.

VIS. Differences in video system (e.g., Beta vs. VHS) justify a new record. Placement of that information in fields 300, 500 or 538 does not justify a new record.

6XX Subject Access

Absence, presence, or difference in 6XX does not justify a new record.

7XX Added Entries

Absence, presence or difference in 7XX does not justify a new record.

8XX Series Added Entries

Absence, presence or difference in 8XX does not justify a new record.